“These awards were created to recognise, celebrate and promote the Australian artists contributing to stronger, deeper and broader cultural links with Asian nations through their work in their countries,” Minister Burke said.

“Our relationship with East Timor is significant, and the contribution of Australian artists is demonstrated by the 2 nominations we received from artists engaging with East Timor.”

“Tonight we are celebrating this artist taking out the award for the Music category, along with the remaining 13 awards shared between Australian artists and arts organisations engaging with their counterparts from China, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Mongolia.”

“I congratulate Tekee Media on their creativity and dedication, and thank them for their contribution to our relationship with East Timor through their strong collaborative partnerships with arts organisations in East Timor.”

The book is published in two languages, Tetun and English and communicates the rich and diverse culture of Timor’s music making to the world. The book is further enhanced with paintings by Timorese artists, whose works depict various aspects of traditional musical culture.

There are transcriptions of songs in both western and Indonesian notation and also has an accompanying CD and DVD.

Tekee Media is a music-based organisation that is committed to helping the East Timorese revive their indigenous music and put it to practical contemporary use through the East Timorese education system. Their Sounds of the Soul publication is the culmination of a 10 year project to record and preserve the traditional music of East Timor.

The Australian Arts in Asia Awards were created to help promote the Australian Government’s commitment in the national cultural policy Creative Australia to the increasing engagement of artists and arts organisations in cultural exchanges building collaborative partnerships with their international counterparts.